Category: Song

Sappho expresses love as a passionate feeling that leaves her speechless and fills her body from head to toe, making her powerless. Love in Sappho’s poems has exceptional emotional power. The poet describes the emotional outburst that occurs when she is next to the object of her love experiences. This outburst is equivalent to death, which shows these feelings’ power, overwhelming the entire body and mind. Sappho uses not only the image of love through external signs but also with the help of states that are invisible to the human eye. One example of such lines in Sappho’s poetry: “trembling shakes my body // and I turn paler than // dry grass. At such times // death isn’t far from me” (Sappho, 2018, p. 61). Readers vividly imagine the woman’s feelings and, perhaps, recall how they felt something similar in their lives.

Undoubtedly, love is one of the most crucial feelings in human life. For this reason, art dedicated to this topic does not lose its relevance. Many modern love songs are cultic and famous to people worldwide, despite being written in a particular language. One of the prime examples is Whitney Houston’s song I Will Always Love You. This song’s lines are full of emotions: “I hope life treats you kind, // And I hope you have // ​​All you’ve dreamed of. // And I wish you joy and happiness. // But above all this, I wish you love. // And I will always love you” (Houston, 1992). The audience sees that the woman loves a man so much that it is more important for her not to be with him, but to know that he is happy. For her, his feelings are much more meaningful than hers since he is the center of her life.

Undoubtedly, Sappho’s poetry is quite unusual and original, so specific differences exist between her works and modern love songs. In particular, in Sappho’s poetry, readers can often find her loving attitude towards representatives of the same sex: “Girls, you be ardent for the fragrant-blossomed // Muses’ lovely gifts, for the clear melodious lyre” (Sappho, 2018, p. 40). In modern society, there is also a tendency towards acceptance and freedom of same-sex relationships. However, in art, this has not yet been expressed clearly enough, which speaks of the freer morals of the past. Despite this, Sappho’s love songs and modern songs are full of similar feelings. They clearly show the emotional state of a woman in love. She is completely immersed in love for a man, ready to sacrifice for him, and wants him to live a happy life.

Notably, love songs have not changed much over the past two thousand years. It is necessary to note the poetic component since a certain rhythm is essential for modern musical art. In the past, the principles of versification were different from modern ones, which complicates the perception of Sappho and other ancient authors’ poetry. Nevertheless, the theme of love, in general, is quite understandable for people of any era. Musical creativity is one of the best ways to express deep feelings like love. Therefore, people praise their beloved and try to convey their attitude as accurately as possible. These songs contain admiration, care, tenderness, and other aspects of this feeling. However, over time, these love components have not changed much, and people can find many similarities in the songs. That is why the poetry of authors such as Sappho is close to many modern people.

References

Houston, W. (1992). I will always love you [Song]. On The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album [Album]. Arista.

Sappho (2018). The poems of Sappho and others. Digireads.com.

I attended the Delaware County Youth Orchestra on April 4, 2012. At the concert, diverse songs were played, and the tonal disparity with the help of melodious instruments was amazingly faultless. This experience was quite amusing for me, because I witnessed breath-taking performances, and there were songs that were played that seriously made me value orchestras. I have always held Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov with high esteem, but it never transpired to me how incredible it would be, to watch him perform live in concerts. I have to acknowledge, after watching his performance on the Russian Easter, which was first played to a live audience in 1844-1908.

It is particularly striking how he uses the musical instruments to create a rhythmic sound. The saxophone is used to strike low and high notes, by using these notes the artist makes the performance electrifying. The artist avoids monotony in music, by including the different notes. Repetitiveness in music is catastrophic to the audience; one cannot expect the audience to listen to low notes without incorporating them with high notes. People may saunter before the concert is over, or some may end up sleeping, all through the performance.

The subsequent exhilarating concert was by Camille Saint-Saens, which was a Violin concert. This performance first took place in 1835-1921. Some people may consider one retarded for listening to such a performance. The concert was fascinating; the violins generated a supple enchanting sound. When one listens to the sound produced by the violins attentively, one can figure out what the melodious sound from the instruments explains.

The melody in the ejected sounds from musical instruments is an art of music, which can be determined by individuals who attend concerts. The artist does a mammoth job with the violins. His performance is entrancing; his focus is on the low notes in music. He starts on a high note then he revolutionizes to the low notes softly, making the audience value his style of music. The artist is accomplished with violins, making his concert one be remembered by the audience. People need to appreciate harmonious instruments; the violin in this case is the magic behind the great performance.

Consequently, there was a concert by Gustav Holst, which was a song about the planets. This song was performed in 1874-1934. The performance ideologies are original and fresh, making the concert innovative. This performance shows how spectacular creations are; each conception has its unique identity. When listening to this performance in a concert, one is able to appreciate the scenery more.

The song makes one understand that music is not all about the verbal message; on the contrary, the sound is the only significant element of music. By the use of musical instruments like the bass guitar and the piano, information on the planets is clearly illustrated. The concert may be long and tedious, but when one takes the time to pay full attention to the song, one learns how the instruments convey the message on planets. This performance makes one realize the importance of life, and what makes the other planets different from planet earth.

The whole concert was unique and electrifying with each given performance. The tonal variation and mixture of notes, the high and low notes in music are clearly illustrated in each performance. I enjoyed listening to all these performances, they were enchanting and uplifting, but this genre of music is not on my favorite type of music list.

My music genre is techno; this type of music brings exposes the inner personalities of a person. Techno music is the finest music to listen to when one feels like lashing out or when one has built-in rage, and he or she does not want to convey the anger to anyone. This type of music is noisy, and it gets its audience in nightclubs and entertainment joints. This music genre is not for everyone since some people tend to find it annoying, because of the energy it requires and its noisy nature.

Techno requires rigid pounding instruments to transfer the information about the music. Other musical instruments used in techno are hard synch keyboard riffs and pounding Belgian-style bass. These musical instruments have some electronic force in them that design the music to be techno. This type of music does not require one to be keen in order to sway in the flow. As long as one understands the flow, understanding the words in the music is immaterial.

Techno is an expedient way of making use of energy inside the body and maintaining one’s health. This is because techno is danceable and this type of exercise prevents diseases of the heart like obesity. Therefore, when one needs to get rid of calories at a fast rate, one should just dance to the tune. This is entertainment for the person but to the heart of the person, it is an exercise. Techno music does not require one to think or be ethical, neither does it require concerts; one can listen to these songs anywhere and at any time.

In the treasury of world musical heritage, there are masterpieces that, once written, enter the stage for years on end, intriguing both the performers and the audience by their endless expressive potential. Such is the case with the world-famous song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” written in 1936 by Cole Porter and since then enjoying incredible popularity among the public. Among its numerous performances and recordings are those made by Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé, two cult singers of their times.

Although presenting the same song in the same style, each of the performers interprets its rhythmic, melodic, timbre, and texture sides so that the listener witnesses two strikingly different results. It is the purpose of the present paper to examine how variation in the aforementioned concepts affects the initially identical musical piece.

What the listener immediately perceives when first hearing the song is its rhythm, the initial way of organizing time in music; and in the two performances, rhythm is the crucial point of divergence. Although both Sinatra’s and Tormé’s recordings proceed in approximately the same tempo, the rhythmical side of the pieces is arranged in different ways. Sinatra’s recording initially leaves no doubts for the listener as to the pace of the song, since it is clearly outlined from the first sounds of the rhythmical framework.

The latter is provided by the sharp line of dotted notes of the saxophone against the harmonic background of the brass group and the regular chords of the keyboards. The bright timbre of the instruments rendering the rhythmical aspect of the song allows the rhythm to break through the musical texture throughout the piece.

In contrast, Tormé’s recording enters in with a rhythmically vague phrase of the solo flute which only seconds later gains at least some rhythmical support rendered by the guitar that articulates a constant repetitive rhythm.

However, this rhythmical base is entrusted to the instrument of such a light sound that eventually it is completely lost in the juicy sound of the strings supporting the soaring melody of the flute. An additional factor that destabilizes the rhythmical scheme is the presence of syncopes in the melody played by the flute and in the supporting voices played by the string instruments when the soloist articulates his melody.

With such contrast in the rhythmical design of the two recordings, the melodic side provides additional grounds for the opposition of the two interpretations of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Frank Sinatra generally preserves the rhythmic correspondence of the melody to the overall beat of the piece and limits the melody to a rather speech-like act with moderate range and syllabic text setting.

On the contrary, Mel Tormé engages in vocalizing that is aimed at demonstrating the expressive capacities of his smooth voice rather than at articulating the text according to its natural accents.

Tormé plays with the beat of the song, starting and ending melodic lines between the main beats and developing them through a series of vibrating crescendos and diminuendos of the same sound, vocalizing even the (nasal) consonants. The primacy of the vocal melody over all the other elements of the song is emphasized in the final cadence, where Tormé engages into an improvisation on the phrase “I’ve got you under my skin” that employs not only words but also vocalization.

Both performed in the major key, the two versions of the song represent the different treatment of that key using timbre and texture. In Sinatra’s version, the listener perceives an interpretation that speaks of resolute action. Such understanding is made possible not only through the resolute rhythmic and melodic structure but also through the instruments employed in the song.

Bright-timbered saxophone and brass instruments play a key role throughout the piece, performing a rhythmic and melodic ostinato and bursting through in an impressive instrumental fragment in the second half of the song. The texture of the whole piece is rather compact, with saxophone, brass instruments, and keyboards providing the rhythmic and harmonic support, and the strings entering only occasionally with a lyrical supporting voice.

Close to the culminating point and the instrumental fragment in the middle, the texture is enriched, with the brass group taking on the main melody and the solo trombone leading an independent improvisational melody. In Tormé’s version, the instrumentation emphasizes the improvisational and rather passive character of the interpretation.

No heavy-sounding instruments are involved, with the texture saturated only by the light-timbered guitar, flute, and the strings. The especial airiness of the texture is achieved through letting the flute and the strings pursue their melodies and not involving them into the persistent articulation of the general rhythmic pattern.

The preceding comparison and contrast of the two performances required repeated listening since all the details become clear only after attentive heeding. The initial impression of the performances tilted my preference in favor of Sinatra’s version since Tormé appeared too lame and self-admiring to inspire any listener’s sympathy.

However, having listened over and over to Tormé’s version and having analyzed the peculiarities of his interpretation, I have arrived at the conclusion that his creative individuality is strong and therefore different from Sinatra’s. The experience of analyzing two versions of one song has taught me the lesson of seeing the beauty in the diversity within the same style of music and of admiring the outward simplicity and the inner complexity of that beauty.

Introduction

Snow Patrol’s song “You are all I have” can be thought of as a reflection of post-industrial individual’s existential mode, who thinks of love as such that closely relates to the concept of comfort (“Under your skin feels like home”), rather than to an irrational passion, as it used to be the case in comparatively recent times. Given the fact that nowadays men are taught to be ashamed of their masculinity, it comes as no surprise that “You are all I have” contains motifs that are destructive to men’s ego, as the singer clearly associates happiness with the process of being deprived of its individuality, by the mean of becoming one with the object of his love:

“There is a darkness deep in you
A frightening magic I cling to.”

Main body

There are two types of men: those who derive pleasure out of “spreading the seed”, as the process that has value in itself, and those who derive masochistic pleasure from ceasing to exist, as a sovereign individual, after being fully domesticated. The members of Snow Patrol clearly belong to the second type of men, as their song “You are all I have” declare their intention to “hold on” to the object of their love, despite the counter-productive properties of such love:

“You’re cinematic razor sharp
A welcome arrow through the heart.”

Just as a male spider, who gets to be eaten by a female spider, after having performed an “act of love” to her, the singer fully realizes the dangers, associated with romancing the subject of his affection:

“I’ve got to see you one last night
Before the lions take their share
Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere.”

Yet, he does not mind them. In fact, he welcomes these dangers, as his subconscious feeling of its own worthlessness causes him to seek the meaning of his existence in the sheer intensity of his life experiences. It appears that being close to the object of his affection deprives the singer of his ability to understand the full spectrum of possible consequences, associated with it:

“It’s so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have.”

Apparently, there are good reasons for the singer to have these “fears” in the first place. However, he prefers not to notice them, probably due to the fact that he is simply incapable of addressing them in the way they deserve to be addressed. In its turn, this can be explained by the singer’s clear affiliation with Generation X, representatives of which are being largely deprived of an understanding of what such concepts as intellectual integrity, physical beauty, and willpower stand for. This is the reason why the part:

“Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Just give me something to hold onto.”

Is being repeated three times, throughout the song, while sounding like some sort of irrational prayer. The singer does not understand the simple fact that something “given” has no value, especially when we talk of love. Love cannot be “given”, it can only be “won”, on the part of men. A man who strives to be loved by a woman should never be saying “give me something to hold onto”, because it automatically deprives him of a woman’s respect, and without respect, there can be no love. Therefore, we can say that the singer clearly confuses the concept of love with the concept of pity. He wants to be pitied because for him, it probably represents even a bigger thrill than getting “electric shocks on aching bones”, as a part of lovemaking. In its turn, this points out at singer as an individual affected by the psychological complex of narcissism. Psychiatrists are well aware of the fact that narcissists often act as masochists, which explains why song incorporates strong tragic overtones, despite the fact that it is being accompanied by rather frivolous music.

The singer wants to be perceived as an overly sensitive and feminine individual because, in his mind, this can win him a woman’s affection. But it is not his existential femininity that might attract women, but the fact that “You are all I have” implies the singer’s subconscious intention to be fully subjected to a woman’s control. Every woman considers herself as being “unique”, even if such “uniqueness” consists of her ability to consume French fries by tons. This is why “big and beautiful” women seem to like “You are all I have” the most (as seen on YouTube), since it appeals to the essence of their sense of self-esteem, as such who are capable of turning a “life long partner” into a “money making machine”, just as female spiders are capable of cannibalizing their male lovers, with masochistic men actually associating such metamorphosis with a sexual thrill.

Conclusion

Thus, we can say that “You are all I have” corresponds to the process of men becoming increasingly feminine, as opposed to the process of women becoming increasingly masculine, which in its turn, defines the essence of socio-political dynamics in the modern world.

Abstract

The song “In the pines” has several titles, such as “My girl”, “Where did you sleep last night”, and “Black Girl”. “In the Pines” is the representation of the folk song corresponding to many American long-standing traditions. The authorship of this famous song is unknown, but it has many covers and interpretations of artists who wanted to manifest something sacred and precious that existed in their hearts.

Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys – In the Pines (1952)

Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys’ recording is considered to be extensively influential in terms of creating further bluegrass. This is the version of country singing which highly gay and exciting. The form of folk singing is observed in this version as it is full of trembling timber accomplished by the guitar tune. It seems that the singers were full of cheerful emotions and sensations that they wanted to be absorbed by their listeners (MonroeJr, 2021).

Bill Monroe, coupled with the Bluegrass Boys (Bill Monroe’s band), used yodeling and fiddles to portray the image of the train featured in this song. Bill Monroe was a resident of America, Kentucky state where the beheading of power was the current agenda. Bill Monroe tried to convert this song projecting harsh American times into a cheerful piece of music; he minimized connections to the decapitations.

Joan Baez – In The Pines (1961)

In comparison with Bill Monroe, Joan Baez’s version is rather sad than gay. Obviously, all insignias of folk music are traced here, as Baez sang in the pitch trembling voice that descended from the high tones to the low ones. This form of singing is the telling example of folk-country music accompanied by guitar playing. Joan Baez is famous for gospel and country music which elements she resorted to skillfully. Being an ardent American socialist fighting for justice and a fair attitude towards all Americans in the 1960s, she used art to convey social meanings. Her version was full of sorrow and alertness to raise Americans’ awareness of people’s rights and prospects.

Reference

MonroeJr, B. L. (2021). The birds of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky.

The essay analyzes the influence of Los Tigres from the lens of their two performances, “Tigres del Norte and Friends” and “America“. Los Tigres del Norte promotes the theme of shared identity. The song marks Latino music history and helps promote Latino pride. The song became significant for bringing together Latino music icons and being the first-ever Mexican song to premiere on MTV. In a big way, these elements help neutralize the barriers existing between Latino genres while promoting a shared identity. In their “America” song, the band promotes the themes of social tolerance and social justice.

The band reminds all Americans that America is not limited to the North alone. The group insists that South and North Americans share a historical identity despite the color and language differences. Besides, the band calls all Latinos to the realization of their oneness under Latinidad. Through the two songs, Los del Norte adopts a marketing strategy that would expand its fan base to include local, transnational, and international Latinos. The reminder that America extends to the South also is an effort to expose its music to the whole population despite the underlying racial barriers. Thus, the marketing strategy brings out the themes of shared identity, social justice, and racial tolerance.

The Lieder cycle (song cycle) is a grouping of individually complete songs linked by one of several unifying factors that flourished in the Romantic era. The defining factor in the song cycle is the presence of some identifiable element that provides cyclical coherence. This element may appear either in the text, in the music or in both. The earliest texts related a story, providing cyclical coherence through the narrative itself. Sometimes the songs may be linked by a central idea or theme. In other examples, cyclicism among songs might be a musical coherence that can be manifested in any of several ways including the use of instrumental interludes, a recurring melodic motive or harmonic progression or the presence of a tonal plan. The Lieder cycle was important in the uniquely Romantic genre, the German art song or Lied, a piece written for a single voice with piano accompaniment. The Lieder cycle – presenting a dramatic episode in verse set to music- was considered a reflection of the Romantic penchant for merging of the classic forms of epic, lyric and drama. The Romantics embraced two essentially incompatible scales of form: miniatures (in their songs, poems and short piano works) and grand gestures (in lengthy novels and symphonies). The song cycle was a hybrid genre, a combination of several miniatures into an oversized whole. As the nineteenth century progressed, the song cycle gained even more momentus as individual songs grew shorter.

Ludwig van Beethoven composed the first recognized Lieder cycle, Au die ferme geliebee (to the Distant, Beloved, 1815-16), a setting of six poems by Aloys Jeitteles. Beethoven achieves cyclic coherence both textually and musically. The textual connection is an essential factor as the poetry is a narrative based on the daydreams of a lover separated from his beloved. Beethoven also links the poems musically, both tonally and through transitional passages between the songs. Further musical coherence takes place when the cycle comes to an end with the return of musical material from the opening song.

Franz Peter Schubert’s well known cycle, Die schone Mullerin (The Lovely Miller Maid, 1823: twenty poems by Wilhelm Muller) depicting the fortunes and misfortunes of a wayfaring young miller, was often acted out in the private salon gatherings of artists drawn to Schubert (Schubertiads). In addition to the textual cohesion provided by the story, Schubert unites several of the songs musically with related accompaniment figures to suggest the nearby brook beside with the narrative unfolds. Schubert’s other great cycle, Winterreise (Winter Journey, 1828: twenty four poems by Wilhelm Muller), in the absence of an explicit narrative threat, combines the predominant Romantic literary themes of wandering, alienation, nature, and unrequited love. Neither of Schubert’s song cycles evidence tonal coherence.

Robert Schumann felt that key relationships between songs in a cycle were paramount. So, he organized the major portion of his songs into cycles, grouped by such components as poet, subject, mood or key association. The sixteen songs of his crowning achievement, the well known cycle Dischterliebe (Poems of Love, 1840; poetry by Heinrich Heine), while distinct, are tonally linked, with adjacent songs in the cycle set in related keys. Moreover, recurring motives, melodic figures and harmonic progressions infuse the cycle, in the face of jarring mood shifts between songs.

The late nineteenth century saw the Lieder cycle become less precisely defined as exclusive from the song collection. The distinction between the cycle and the collection is most blurred in the work of Johannes Brahms. Brahms combined most of his Lieder into “collections”. Even though Brahms never used the term cycle, he was precise about the ordering of his songs within the collections.

I believe that the said quote concerns the relationship between the input efforts and their impact on the individual. For instance, if one does not have a genuine interest in geometry, they might still greatly benefit from the hard work put into the mathematical tasks and proving theorems. These efforts would enrich the mind and, according to the quote, nourish the “spiritual plane” and intelligence. Therefore, the primary point of the quotation can be summarized in one sentence – regardless of circumstances and results, all hard effort put into the task will positively affect the mind.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement because it resonates with my perspectives on studies, work, and even physical exercises. If I do not succeed in certain activities (e.g., a poor learning session), I try to encourage myself by recalling that any input effort made me a slightly better person than before. Similarly, when I have a poor sports session, and my results are much worse than during the previous training, I remind myself that physical activity is beneficial for my body regardless of the outcomes. Therefore, even if I am not satisfied with the ultimate results of the task, I feel that my hard efforts made a positive change nonetheless. In this sense, I believe that my perspective aligns well with the quote, specifically the “spiritual plane”. Thus, if I try hard to achieve my goals, these efforts would enrich my mind and positively affect my spirituality.

Concerning the third problem, I believe that my natural skill level in math is probably around 6 or 7. I rarely have a hard time understanding the underlying principles of algebra and geometry, but my interest in the subject is quite limited. Furthermore, I acknowledge that some people are naturally more gifted and have a genuine interest in math, so I refrain from a higher grade on a scale from 1 to 10. According to the quotation, my challenges in math concern the lack of interest or “natural aptitude”. On the other hand, the author mentions that this mindset might be almost an advantage to my studies. Therefore, my opportunities lie in the hard work and the rewards of these efforts by enriching my mind and spiritual plane.

Ultimately, according to Jason Gray’s song “Nothing Is Wasted”, no emotional hurt is wasted in the hands of Jesus. Elaborating on the topic, I agree that nothing, period, is wasted in the hands of Christ. I think that it is a highly subjective and sensitive topic for many people, but I perceive this message to God also as a personal statement. In other words, every experience (not only emotional hurt) affects us in some way, and, thus, nothing is wasted. For some people, it might be in the hands of God, and for others, it is a personal journey. However, I do believe that nothing, period, is ever wasted since it affects us in some way.

The link between music and protest has always been a close one, and there are songs reflecting social and political struggles and issues that can be found in every generation of artists. Nevertheless, as noted in the book Playing for Change: Music and Musicians in the Service of Social Movements, there is no way to correctly determine whether music has any effect on social movements (Rosenthal and Flacks 26). Essentially, it is impossible to state that a certain song became the primary trigger for a certain protest or affected it to a considerable extent. At the same time, I believe that music solely does not possess the capacity to instigate social movements, but it can unify protestors and activists.

In the history of music, many highly influential bands and musicians wrote commercially successful politically-charged songs that failed to stimulate people to start social movements. One of the main examples of a song that contained a social message and was extremely popular is John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” which did not contribute to the creation of any major social movement. Moreover, the song continues to attract controversy to this day since John Lennon was not a member of the working class himself, and, from this perspective, the song can be viewed as rather hypocritical (Trzcinski). Additionally, there are bands such as Range Against the Machine, whose sole discography mainly consists of protest songs, which despite being sold millions of copies, did not stimulate any movements.

At the same time, artists have the ability to write music that, instead of creating social movements, can contribute to their unity and encourage more people to join them. A proper example of a song that became an actual chant of a social movement in recent years is Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” The song was used extensively by the Black Lives Matter movement activists and protestors during demonstrations allowing people to sing the chorus together and thus enhance their sense of unity (Mckinney). In other words, “Alright” strengthened the bonds among the people participating in the protest and encouraged them to be more active.

While there is a link between music and protest, songs alone, despite being political and commercially successful, cannot start a social movement but can contribute to it and inspire people. Songs such as “Working Class Hero” and bands such as Range Against the Machine, which mainly writes protest music, have demonstrated that the creations of artists cannot become the foundation of protest. Yet, at the same time, music can be used as a tool by the existing social movements to strengthen the unity of protestors, exemplified by songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”

Works Cited

Mckinney, Jessica. “The History of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” as a Protest Song.”Complex, 2020. Web.

Rosenthal, Rob, and Richard Flacks. “Playing for Change: Music and Musicians in the Service of Social Movements.” Routledge, 2015.

Trzcinski, Matthew. “John Lennon Biographer Said He Wasn’t a ‘Working Class Hero’ — Here’s Why.” Showbiz CheatSheet, 2021. Web.

In Bob Dylan’s song Scarlet Town, the world’s view is presented as Dylan sees it. By incorporating his thoughts in several words throughout the music, Dylan sets the song as a dancehall from the start to when he makes a request. Through intertextuality, Dylan writes the song presenting a state of the interplay between Scarlet Town and other embedded songs. The effect of the other songs embedded in Dylan’s song and how they help invoke the overall theme becomes the point of consideration throughout the analysis.

The impact Ernest Tubb’s Walking the Floor Over You and Vern Gosdin’s Set ‘Em Up Joe have on Dylan’s writing style might not mean much for specific references but greatly contributes to the theme. The references are significant in presenting pictures and hints that constantly fade in and out in the song. The impressionist piece borrows from these specific songs to enable the listener to understand the hints and parodies of Scarlet Town‘s world. The use of images and hints in the song shows that what appears in the front has a different perspective when the light fades. Through the features, the song helps to bring out the notion that everything is concocted from the personalities people have been dealt with throughout their upbrings and genes.

The town constitutes distinct features: a bar of heavy drinkers, a junky whore, a dancehall that plays rock n roll of the 1950s, and a folk club. Dylan sings, “Set ’em up Joe, play Walking The Floor Play it for my flat chested junky whore I’m staying up late and I’m making amends While the smile of heaven descends” (n.p). From this part of the song, the narrator acknowledges his negative qualities, but the qualities should not condemn them. Dylan embodies the perfect characteristic of what the town shapes people to become, and his cruel description of his lover shows the evil nature he possesses. However, despite being cruel, Dylan’s kindness becomes evident when he requests for a song to be played for her. Moreover, the narrator acknowledges his imperfections to the point of ‘making amends,’ being optimistic the heavens will descent on his act of kindness. Therefore, it is best to accept things for what they are since everything mentioned is all here in the town, and it is all good.

Repeatedly, the incorporated references in the song make the audience acknowledge that life follows through a pattern people have no control over. Escape, should it ever happen, only comes too late in life. Both the bad and the good exist as Ying and Yang, which is the truth about life. There is nothing people can do to alter their fate, and since change rarely comes, individuals keep fighting the same wars fought by their fathers. While signs of progress appear, none happens in people’s lives. Dylan sings, ”In Scarlet Town you fight your father’s foes Up on the hill a chilly wind blows You fight ‘em on high and you fight ‘em down in You fight ‘em with whisky, morphine and gin” (n.p). However, even that being the case, the narrator keeps believing that everything will be okay. Repenting and trying to do things better, no matter what stage in life, will help change one’s fate. Therefore, handling issues where Dylan is now of paramount significance since traveling is not a guaranteed way of putting things right.

Johnny Ray’s Whiskey and Gin and, more specifically, the lines ‘I got a gal who drinks whiskey and gin/Kisses me goodnight, hugs and squeezes me tight’ are also used as references in Scarlet Town. Evident in “You fight ‘em on high and you fight ‘em down in You fight ‘em with whisky, morphine and gin,” Dylan shows how relying on drugs and alcohol is the preferred way of dealing with challenges. However, the options are simple translations of giving in to the challenges. Dylan assumes he is doomed, and this shows a state of weakness in the narrator as the audience wonders why he cannot remain assertive when facing adversity.

Lastly, Scarlet Town presents a more detailed study of Barbara Allen’s folk song. While Allen’s main theme tells of a tale where a young woman spurns her lover on his deathbed and comes to regret it, Dylan brings out a world full of both bad and good. However, Dylan argues there is no way the bad in the world can prevent combining the two forms from leading to eventual good. The entire world presented in the town appears complete in several ways. The events of the characters present a global real-life significance that resonates on beauty and ugliness, wealth and poverty, cruelty and kindness, and life and death.

Conclusively, the impact of the references in the song Scarlet Town helps shape the world’s view as Dylan presents it to be significantly resonating with all manner of real life. As established, the presentation ranges from cruelty and kindness to life and death, and Dylan shows that sometimes relying on drugs and alcohol is the preferred way of dealing with challenges. However, sorting out the narrator’s issues is of paramount significance since traveling is not a guaranteed way of putting things right.

Work Cited

Dylan, Bob. Lyrics to Scarlet Town. Special Rider Music 2012. Web.